1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to tongue cleaners and more particularly to tongue cleaners of the type wherein cleaning is effected by scraping the surface of the tongue.
2. Prior Art
Brushing the teeth and flossing are widely accepted as basic oral hygiene. Cleaning of the tongue, however, is often overlooked. The tongue, like the teeth, may become coated with a film having an objectional odor, which may be particularly noticeable after sleep. Sometimes, the tongue surface acquires an unpleasant rough or furry feeling, which may be caused by saliva or mucus drying on the tongue as a result of breathing through the mouth. The best way to deal with these problems is by abrading or scraping the tongue surface to remove the agents responsible for the objectionable odor or feel.
To this end, some persons brush the surface of the tongue with a conventional tooth brush. More effective, however, are tongue scrapers specifically designed for scraping the surface of the tongue, and several such devices are suggested in the art.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,435 discloses a tongue scraper comprising two curved surfaces joined at right angles. This device, however, does not incorporate a mechanism for trapping the material accumulated during the scraping operation, and incorporates a separately formed handle joined to the scraper, which adds to manufacturing expense.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,533,123 discloses a tongue scraper comprising a curved, slightly concave surface. While the curve generally conforms to the shape of the tongue, the slightly concave surface does not effectively trap matter accumulated during the scraping operation. Nor does the handle appear comfortable to grasp.
U.S. Pat. No. D95,777 discloses a toothbrush having a spoon-shaped member at one end, presumably for scraping the tongue. However, because the spoon is not curved, it cannot conform to the shape of the tongue, and therefore is less than fully effective for cleaning the surface thereof. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,049,956, 2,708,762 and 4,356,585 also disclose toothbrushes having a tongue scraper at one end. In each case, however, the tongue scraper is not curved and therefore is less than fully effective for cleaning the tongue. U.S. Pat. No. 1,891,864 also discloses a tongue scraper comprising a flat edge.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,704 discloses yet another combined toothbrush and tongue scraper. However, because of the manner in which the tongue scraper extends from the toothbrush handle, holding the brush for scraping the tongue is awkward. Apparently in recognition of this fact, the tongue scraper is alternately disclosed as removable which, of course, adds to the expense of the device. A somewhat similar tongue scraper is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,811,775. Another combined toothbrush and tongue cleaner, wherein the tongue cleaner comprises a curved member at the end of the handle, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,860,924. The curved portion is not, however, wide enough to conform with the shape of the tongue and is therefore less than fully effective. In addition, the interior of the curved section is flat, and consequently there is no mechanism for trapping matter accumulated during the scraping operation.
U.S. Pat. No. D118,318 discloses a tongue scraper in the form of a loop as does U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,327. It is not seen that these tongue scrapers will conform well with the upper surface of the tongue. Moreover, they do not include a mechanism for catching matter scraped from the tongue, other than the surfaces of the loop itself, from which such matter may readily drip off.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,683,924, 3,697,366 and 3,811,447 disclose generally U-shaped flexible scrapers. While these scrapers, because of their flexibility, can be formed to the shape of the surface of the tongue, they require two hands to use, and also do not incorporate a mechanism for trapping material accumulated during the scraping operation.
Still other scrapers, each of which suffers from one or more of the aforementioned drawbacks, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,658,706; 1,741,143; 2,405,029; 2,583,750 and 3,890,964. In addition, various of the tongue cleaners referenced above are uncomfortable to grasp, and some, because of the number of parts, are relatively expensive to manufacturer.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved tongue cleaner which is effective for cleaning the surface of the tongue, and which incorporates a mechanism for accumulating matter removed from the tongue during the scraping operation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tongue cleaner of the aforementioned type which is formed from a minimum number of parts for reducing manufacturing costs.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a tongue cleaner of the aforementioned type which is comfortably grasped by both right and left handed users.